ten steps closer
by Ju5t An0th3r H3d63h06
Summary: and the line between just-friends and maybe-I-like-you becomes just a little bit blurrier. —postgame, sequel, oneshot.


**a/n: I don't know why, but I've been so stressed recently… I think I'm slowly going stir crazy.**

**This is for SumRandomPerson12, who inspired me to do the ten theme challenge with her awesome oneshot. Also for Lux Rei, who needs to STOP SINGING THE FREAKING REJECTION SONG. (I love you anyway, you dork.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Pokémon, I would get Dialga to stop time so I could sleep more.**

* * *

_ten steps closer_

* * *

step one  
6:42 am _[holding hands]_

* * *

"Bye, Mommy!" Haru Noir waves from the top of the stairwell as her mother dons a waterproof parka and prepares to face the slushy mess that is Aspertia City's winter. "Have fun at work!"

"I'll try." Ayako Noir smiles at her daughter as she reaches for an umbrella. "You have fun here too, okay? I know it's messy outside, but I'm sure your older brother can help you fight off boredom."

"Don't worry, Mommy, I'll be fine!" Hugh's little sister grins mischievously. "I already know what I'm gonna do today!"

"Stop closet-shipping your brother and his best friend!" scolds Ayako lightly with a mock glare at her daughter.

"But it's fun!" protests the brown-haired girl. "Their reactions are the best!"

"Even so, it embarrasses them," chides her mother gently.

"…Fine." Haru pouts.

"I have to go, honey," says Ayako, a hint of sadness coloring her tone. "I'll see you all later tonight. I love you!"

"I love you too, Mommy," replies Haru cheerfully. "Have a good day!"

The door slams, and the smile slides from the eight-year-old's face.

"Li?" The violet-goldenrod feline Pokémon nudges Haru questioningly from its spot one stair above her. The girl sighs and pets the Liepard's head before padding down the steps to lock up.

"It's just…Mommy's always on call," says Haru sadly to her pet Pokémon as she trudges back up the stairs. "I…I never really get to see her that much."

Liepard meows in response and flicks its tail, nudging the Hugh's little sister in the direction of his room.

"H-huh? You want me…to look in Hugh's room?" The girl blinks at her Liepard. "Not that I don't condone blackmailing my bro, but…why?"

"Li, lie-pard."

"Cheer me up?" translates Haru quickly. Suddenly, a grin spreads across her features. "Don't tell me…"

The feline Pokémon nods with a smirk of its own, and Haru quietly nudges open the door to her older brother's room.

Rosa and Hugh are both sound asleep, exhausted from their movie marathon last night. Hugh has apparently chosen to take the floor—spirit of gentlemanliness and all that—leaving Rosa sprawled out on his bed. As Haru watches, the brunette girl shifts in her sleep, causing her hand to drop off the side of the bed. Her fingertips brush Hugh's, and the two unconsciously link fingers.

"Awww, they're so cute!" whisper-sings Haru, yanking out her almost-new C-Gear. "Picture time~!"

(Predictably, the flash goes off—she hasn't quite mastered the art of completely disabling it.)

"CRAP!" hisses the petite girl as she and Liepard flee the room.

* * *

step two  
8:57 am _[doing something together]_

* * *

"Look! I made a Snivy pancake!" Rosa grins as she carefully removes the metal cookie cutter from the pan and flips a pancake that is, indeed, Snivy-shaped.

Hugh scoffs at his rival's breakfast confection. "It's wobbly on the edges. You didn't let it set, did you?"

"W-well…" Rosa looks guiltily at the floor. "The cookie cutter was getting hot and I didn't want to burn myself…Ahhh!" She rushes back to the stove and attempts to scrape her now-burnt pancake off the (nonstick) pan.

Hugh puts a hand to his face as he watches the struggles of his severely culinary-impaired rival. "Rosa, would you like any help with that?"

"No!" replies Rosa, sticking out her tongue at him.

Never one to resist a challenge, Hugh makes a face back at her before unceremoniously removing the pan from Rosa's hands. He dumps it into the sink and runs warm water over it, burnt pancake and all.

"S-s-snivy…" Rosa tears up.

"I…I'll help you make a new one?" tries Hugh, wincing at Rosa's expression.

Rosa turns plaintive cerulean eyes on him. "But I wanted that one!"

"That one was inedible," says Hugh bluntly.

"Wow, tact much?" says Haru to her brother as she hops onto the counter and takes a box of Alpha-Bits from the cabinet.

"I didn't mean it like that!" retorts Hugh defensively.

Rosa drops the pancake flipper onto the table and climbs onto the kitchen island, curling her pajama-clad knees to her chest and sulking. "I give up."

"Listen, Rosa," says Hugh as he picks up the discarded flipper and places it into his best friend's hands. "You can do this. All it takes is practice."

"I can't even make ramen!" retorts the brunette.

Instead of responding, Hugh wraps his arms around her and lifts her easily off the kitchen island.

"Aah! Wh-what are you doing?! P-put me d-down!" stammers Rosa, going pink in the face because Hugh just_ actually picked her up _(and Haru is taking_pictures__._)

"We're going to make Snivy-shaped pancakes," replies Hugh as he puts Rosa down in front of the stove and hands her the cookie cutter. "Lots of them. And they're going to turn out fine. And you're going to feel stupid for thinking you can't cook."

"O-okay…" Rosa wipes away her tears and tentatively accepts the cookie cutter Hugh is holding out to her, placing it gently atop the new pan.

"You send those and you die," mutters Hugh in the direction of his younger sister as he pours a few drops of cake mix into the cookie cutter, and Haru freezes midway through composing a fourteen-person text message.

* * *

step three  
10:01 am _[on a set-up date]_

* * *

"Hiya, Qwilfish Head~!" sings a cheerful voice loudly, causing echo-static to emit from the microphone of Hugh's dark red Xtransceiver.

Hugh grits his teeth and bites back a curse word as he slams a plate into the dish rack. "Don't call me that, Memetic Hair."

"Hey, don't be that way!" cries Rosa's twin brother, displaying mock outrage and attempting to smooth his unruly brown hair. "I just called to say hi to Rosa, that's all!"

"Then call _her,_ nitwit," growls Hugh as he turns back to the kitchen sink.

"But she's always at _your_ house," retorts Nate under his breath.

"What was that?" Hugh turns a frosty crimson glare on Nate.

Nate gulps nervously. "N-nothing!"

"Hiya, Nate!" Rosa waves at Hugh's Xtransceiver cam with a dishtowel from her position as resident dish-dryer, blatantly ignoring Hugh. "What's up?"

"We-ell…" Nate shrugs nonchalantly. "I was gonna invite you two up to the Battle Subway today."

"Um, Nate? Did you check the weather in Aspertia?" Rosa stares incredulously at her brother. "It's twenty-five degrees and disgustingly slushy."

"Well, there's that…" Nate sulks slightly, then brightens. "Oh! Well, you guys can come tomorrow, then! I got a job there. Well, kind of."

"Ooh! If it's the concession stand, can I get a sibling discount?" Rosa drops the dishtowel and dashes over to the Xtransceiver on the kitchen counter, blue eyes wide with excitement.

"Um, little sis?" Nate winces and scratches the back of his head nervously. "The concession stand is for movies."

"Oh." Rosa pouts as she dries the dish Hugh hands to her. "Well, what is your job, then?"

"It involves a lot of battling. That's all I'm gonna tell you," says Nate mysteriously.

Haru walks into the kitchen, spots the Xtransceiver, and recognizes the face on the screen. Picking it up off the counter, she stares straight into the camera and says flatly, "Nate Blanc, if you're trying to set up a date for these two at the Battle Subway, you are possibly the worst person I could have put in charge of this task."

"Haru?!" yells Nate, backing away from the camera in evident fear. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here," replies the shorter girl drily. "That's obviously beside the point, though. Why at the Battle Subway? It's one of the most unromantic places on earth. Train-sickness potential, slightly offbeat color scheme, tons of people…"

"Red-hot battles, a newly reopened Super Double Battle Station, awesome Trainer items…" retorts Nate. "It's the perfect place for these two!"

"Hmm…" Haru's brow creases in thought, an odd look for an eight-year-old. "Okay!" she finally decides with an eager grin. "Go for it!"

"This is embarrassing," mutters Hugh as he viciously scrubs out the pancake pan.

"They opened up the Super Double Battle station, though," replies Rosa as she fights off a blush of her own.

"So, you wanna go?" asks the blunette, avoiding his best friend's eyes.

"Okay," agrees Rosa, staring at the ground like it's the most interesting thing she's seen all day. "We're avoiding Nate, though. Deal?"

"Deal." Hugh fist-bumps his rival and tries to ignore the strange feeling in his stomach. (_Maybe I accidentally ate one of Rosa's failed pancakes. Yup, that's it…)_

The deal does not go unnoticed by Nate, who grins and decides not to inform them that he's one of the Super Double Train's bosses.

* * *

step four  
11:36 am _[gaming]_

* * *

"You're going down, Qwilfish Head!" Rosa glares at the television screen as she pounds the X button on her PlayStation controller.

"That's what you think, Cinnabon," retorts Hugh as he responds by completely spamming all four top buttons at once and (accidentally) unleashing a combo attack on Rosa's character.

Haru sits atop the couch and watches the two trade blows on Tekken 3, shaking her head in disgust. "We have a perfectly good Wii and an Xbox with Kinect, yet you two insist on using this…thing…as a gaming platform?"

"Little Sis, this was our childhood," says Hugh seriously as he attempts to replicate his accidental combo. "Right, Rosa?"

"Eat dirt, Law!" yells Rosa in reply as her character, a lady in heels and a black jumpsuit, body slams a man in a karate outfit.

"Waugh!" The blunette panics, clicking more buttons. "Aw, that's not right! I barely remember the controls on this thing!"

"Too bad," says Rosa, sticking out her tongue at her rival as "Nina Wins!" flashes across the screen.

"You suck." Hugh slumps against the couch dejectedly as he watches his defeat replay in slow motion.

"If you want, I'll teach you the combos again," offers Rosa, holding out her controller as a peace offering.

"…But I _know_ the combos already." Hugh sulks in the direction of his rival.

"You're such a kid," Rosa scoffs.

Thunder echoes above the house, a direct result of the sudden storm that has managed to turn Aspertia City's weather from messy slush into a sleet-rain mix complete with complimentary lightning and thunderbolts. Rosa lets out a small yelp as she drops the PlayStation controller and dives onto the couch, attempting to wedge herself between two couch cushions.

"What was that about being a kid?" teases Hugh.

"Shut up!" retorts Rosa, flushing a lovely shade of Pecha Berry. Hugh smirks at her as she un-wedges herself from the couch and sits back down on the floor, grabbing her controller while unconsciously scooting closer to him.

Haru smirks and reaches for her C-Gear again.

* * *

step five  
12:17 pm _[wearing each other's clothes]_

* * *

"Well, this sucks," sighs Hugh as he tosses his Uno cards onto the coffee table.

"You can say that again," replies Rosa drily as she adds her cards to the stack.

"Remind me again, why did I agree to this?" Hugh slumps backwards onto a sofa cushion and eyes Rosa warily.

"Because Haru made Liepard hide the PlayStation. Read: we're never going to find it again." Rosa rolls her eyes and copies her cobalt-haired rival, sinking back onto the couch and directing a mock glare in the direction of Hugh's younger sister.

Haru grins innocently as she neatly gathers the Uno cards.

"So, little sis, what's it gonna be?" Hugh straightens up and crosses his arms, raising an eyebrow in the eight-year-old's direction. "Since we lost to you at Uno, are we now your personal servants?"

"No no no, Qwilfish Head. _You're_ going to be her personal servant," says Rosa quickly. "I'd rather do something else. Like, I don't know, clean a bathroom."

"You'd rather clean a _bathroom?_" blurts Hugh, staring at his rival incredulously.

"Knowing your sister, she'd probably make me wear a uniform if I was her personal servant," deadpans Rosa, and her cobalt-haired friend nods in understanding.

"Wear…?" Haru puts a finger to her cheek, and her crimson eyes darken in thought.

"Look what you did," sighs Hugh, flinging his hands up in defeat. "You gave her an idea."

"I got it!" Haru grins like a Gengar. "Hugh and Rosa have to switch one item of clothing for the rest of the day!" She dashes towards the front room at a speed that would make a Weavile jealous, presumably to retrieve said preferred item of clothing.

"We _what?_" demands Hugh.

"It's not _that_ bad," says Rosa reasonably. "I mean, I'm sure Haru won't make us switch shirts or something."

Haru walks back into the living room with a red-and-white jacket, a pink-ribboned visor, and an evil grin.

"…Okay, it is that bad," admits Rosa as she watches Hugh's expression turn to stone.

* * *

step six  
1:02 pm _[hanging out with friends]_

* * *

"Coming! Geez!" yells Hugh in the direction of the incessantly ringing doorbell, handing off the marshmallow fluff to Rosa. "And don't lick the spoon! We're making sandwiches, remember?" he adds hurriedly as the petite girl lifts out a scoop that's roughly the size of a Solosis.

Rosa pouts. "Hmph. You're no fun."

"As if you need more sugar," mutters Hugh under his breath as he heads down the front hallway. The doorbell's still chiming insistently, and the cobalt-haired boy approaches the front door with a snarl. "I swear to Arceus, if it's a bunch of reporters I'm going to unleash my—oh. It's _you._"

"Is that any way to treat your awesome bestie?" Nate pouts at his blunette friend, adopting a kicked-puppy expression.

"ROSA, IT'S FOR YOU!" yells Hugh down the hallway, annoyed.

Nate winces, holding both his ears in pain. "_Ow._ I'm right here, you know…"

Rosa pokes her head around the corner, still holding the spoon. Its marshmallow-fluff scoop has gone missing, but before Hugh can address the matter, the hyperactive girl dashes over.

"Yay! It's Nate~!" cheers his rival, glomping her twin brother. Nate hugs his sister back, then tilts his head slightly at her and raises an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Something seems different…Oh! I know! Rosa is wearing Hugh's coat and Hugh is wearing Rosa's visor!"

"H-Haru's fault!" yell Hugh and Rosa simultaneously, turning similar shades of red.

Nate grins at Hugh's cobalt-haired younger sister. "Nice work, Haru Haru."

Haru bows gracefully. "I try."

"U-um, anyway, weren't we going to have lunch or something?" blurts Rosa, waving the spoon in the air. "See? Marshmallow fluff and Nutella sandwiches! Healthy and nutritious lunch! Nothing indecent going on here!"

"E-exactly!" Hugh concurs, cursing the stammer that has appeared in his voice as he awkwardly adjusts the visor hanging loosely around his neck.

"You're welcome to stay for lunch," says Haru pleasantly, inwardly laughing at the horrified expression on her older brother's face and wishing she had thought to bring her C-Gear from the kitchen. _This is blackmail gold._

"Won't that be fun," mutters Hugh, casting a crimson glance skyward. _Arceus help me._ "Rosa, you ate the marshmallow fluff, didn't you?"

"N-no I didn't!" denies the brunette vehemently.

Hugh steps closer, examining Rosa's face with a raised eyebrow. A telltale splash of white fluff has swiped itself across her cheek, blowing the lie completely.

Nate bites back a snicker at his sister's predicament. "Nice, Rosa."

"Erm…I-I mean…" Rosa backs away, blushing slightly at Hugh's close proximity.

Haru groans. "Oh, get a room, you two."

"HEY!" yells the cobalt-haired boy angrily, going the exact shade of a Tamato Berry.

Nate snickers and fist-bumps Hugh's younger sister, grinning. "So. What say we leave these two in this room and I'll teach you how to play gin rummy?"

Rosa glares at her twin brother. "Stop corrupting the youth, Nate!"

* * *

step seven  
2:15 pm _[taking a nap]_

* * *

"More Nutella?" Rosa yawns and offers the jar in the direction of her best friend. Hugh takes the jar and digs into it with the marshmallow fluff spoon, stifling a yawn of his own.

"That's what five sugar-filled sandwiches do to you," chides Nate, smirking at the duo. "Hit," he adds as he puts down an ace of hearts.

Haru mumbles something impolite and starts lining up cards on the coffee table. "I told them that Nutella and marshmallows together weren't a good idea, but does anyone listen to me? Nooo. I'm done," she adds as she puts down her last four cards in a neat row.

"What?! How can you be done already, you cheater?" Nate stares incredulously at his cards and glares in the pixielike girl's direction. "You meanie! I don't wanna play with you anymore!"

"And thus, the child is beaten by a child," Hugh muses through a huge yawn. A few seconds later, both he and Rosa are asleep against the couch.

Nate and Haru smirk as they eye the sleeping duo. Rosa is curled into Hugh's side, snoring lightly. One of the cobalt-haired teenager's arms is wrapped loosely around her, hugging her slightly closer.

"What say we go finish our game somewhere else?" asks Nate.

"Sure." Haru shrugs agreeably and starts picking up the cards from the table.

"But first, blackmail." Nate grins like a Gengar and pulls out his electric-blue C-Gear.

Haru eyes him admiringly. "Wow, you're good! Just for that, I'll let you post the pics to the Hugh x Rosa Project page."

"Yay!" Nate cheers childishly and starts taking pictures, careful not to wake up the sleeping duo.

* * *

step eight  
3:54 pm _[piggy back ride]_

* * *

"Heeeeey! Hugh!"

There's a voice in his ear. It's loud and persistent and slightly annoying.

"Huh…?"

"Hugh, wake up! There's real live actual reporters outside the house!" yells Haru into her older brother's ear.

"Oh crap." Hugh snaps awake, rubbing the sleep out of his crimson eyes. "Are they here for Rosa?"

"No. This dunce—" Haru points to a sheepish-looking Nate, who winces slightly. "—was followed here by them, and they just now decided to show their faces."

"I'm really sorry!" cries Nate, slightly panicked. "I didn't know they were tracking me! Seriously, I thought being the Champion was more of a deal that being a Subway Boss!"

"You're a Subway Boss?" Hugh blinks at Rosa's older brother. "Huh. So that explains this morning."

"Did I wake you up to gossip?" demands Haru. "No. Go take Rosa upstairs so her cover won't be blown."

"Whuzgoinon?" mumbles Rosa blearily, eyes half-lidded with sleepiness and confusion.

"Reporters stalked Nate here," explains Hugh. "Go back to sleep."

"Okay," agrees Rosa sleepily, closing her eyes again. Hugh hoists the brunette onto his back and carries her up the stairs, ignoring the blush that heats up his face.

"The Google+ page is gonna get a lot of hits today," comments Haru as she swipes Nate's camera and starts taking more pictures.

"You're useless," groans Nate as he turns back to the window, eyeing the pack of reporters outside. "The one day Nancy is sick and can't bail me out…"

* * *

step nine  
4:19 pm _[staring into each other's eyes]_

* * *

"Ugh, it's so boring around here!" Haru flops across the couch, heaving a sigh and glaring at Hugh and Rosa. "Why'd you two have to kick Nate out, huh?"

"I could have sworn it was you who booted him out of here, little sis," responds the cobalt-haired boy easily, his gaze not leaving the brunette girl across from him.

"Well, he was going to blow Rosa's cover," mumbles Hugh's little sister sulkily. "And where else would Rosa stay, anyway? Her house is infested with reporters."

"I could get a hotel in Driftveil, I suppose," suggests Rosa, staring intensely at her rival.

"And what, leave you alone with a bunch of rich snobs holding parties in their hotel rooms?" scoffs Hugh. "Not likely. I went to one of those by accident and drank a cup of punch—"

"Don't ever drink the punch, you dork!" Rosa's stare turns into a glare as she punches her rival in the arm.

Hugh flinches and almost blinks, remembering the staring contest just in time. "I'm not a dork!"

"Aw. Thought I had you." Rosa pouts.

The room goes silent again as the duo continue to stare into each other's eyes.

"How did we get into this again?" Rosa asks her rival as she tugs out a ponytail, adeptly fixing her slightly messy Sailor Moon buns.

"I have no idea." Hugh adjusts the collar of his shirt, removing the visor that is mysteriously still attached.

Silence falls over the room yet again. Annoyed, Haru does a backwards flip off the couch and stands up.

"This is ridiculous. Will you two just kiss already?"

The reaction is immediate and glorious.

Rosa's cheeks turn a legendary shade of scarlet as she opens her mouth, presumably to protest the girl's statement. Hugh's face, on the other hand, has bypassed red and gone a rather interesting shade of magenta. It contrasts horribly with his bright crimson eyes, which are swirling with a mixture of embarrassment and _shut-up-haru-will-you._

The small brunette girl doesn't bother to conceal her amusement as she snaps the perfect photo. (Nate has taught her how to disable the flash, finally.)

* * *

step ten  
5:49 pm [first almost-kiss]

* * *

"Mommy!" yells Haru, dashing down the stairs with her Liepard hot on her heels. The feline Pokémon had retreated to the safety of Haru's bedroom and the warmth of her still-running laptop computer upon noticing Nate, not quite trusting the new arrival, but was eventually coaxed out by Haru and a piece of Swai fillet.

"Hi, honey!" Ayako Noir grins at her daughter and lifts her into the air, causing the seven-year-old to shriek with glee. "How's the betting pool?" she adds jokingly, putting Haru down and petting Liepard, who purrs in happiness.

"Hey, Mom!" calls Hugh from the kitchen, waving a spatula at his mother with a grin before going back to sautéing the chicken. "Rosa, could you get the rice?"

"Okay!" Rosa hops off the kitchen island and checks the almost-done rice, carefully lifting the lid. Since her lack of proficiency in cooking has been proven in a rather spectacular fashion, she has been delegated to merely making sure things don't catch on fire.

The older woman smiles as she heads into the kitchen. "This smells fantastic. Thank you so much, you two."

"No problem!" replies Rosa happily.

Hugh rolls his eyes good-naturedly. "And the one with the least cooking ability takes the most credit."

"Hey!" Rosa snatches his spatula and swats him with it. Haru and Ayako laugh, and Hugh scowls as he regains control of the cooking utensil.

Dinner is a pleasant affair, with everyone swapping stories about their days over pepper chicken and rice. Rosa calls her mother after dinner to let her know that the rescue brigade (translation: Hugh's Flygon) will be arriving tonight to rescue her from the constant stream of reporters banging away at their door. An eavesdropping Haru plans out Miku Blanc's daring escape before being dragged away from the downstairs phone by her exasperated older brother. Flygon leaves for Rosa's house, and everyone migrates into the living room to wait.

Of course, the battle for the remote ensues the instant the three children hit the couch.

"Hey, no fair! I wanted to watch Pokémon: Rival Destinies!" wails Haru theatrically as Hugh snags the remote.

"What, that cartoon with the ten-year-old who's been the same age for 5 years?" scoffs her older brother. "Not likely. I'm watching Person of Interest."

"Nuh-uh!" declares Rosa, easily snatching the remote from her rival. "_I'm_ watching the Contest Digest, and you're gonna like it."

"Hey, give it back!" demands Hugh, reaching for the poor abused piece of technology.

Rosa sticks out her tongue at him, flipping one of her long ponytails in his face as she perches unsteadily on the edge of the couch.

"Well, this isn't going to end well," remarks Haru drily as she watches the two wrestle each other for the remote.

As it turns out, she's right. Hugh tugs at the couch cushion Rosa is sitting on, causing her to wobble sideways. She panics slightly and attempts to not fall behind the couch, succeeding a second too late because Hugh already has the precious remote. Determined to regain control of her ill-gotten viewing privileges, Rosa tackles her rival, who reacts instinctively by pinning her to the couch. Still breathing hard from their wrestling match, the duo fail to realize the precarious position they're in.

Hugh grins wickedly. Their faces are mere centimeters apart.

"I win."

Rosa stammers out a reply, barely registering that Hugh has control of the remote.

The cobalt-haired boy unconsciously leans closer, and the brunette's cerulean eyes flutter shut.

"Can we at least try to keep it PG in here?" suggests Haru cheerily. The two leap apart like they've been burned.

"U-um…let's just take turns," suggest Rosa shakily.

Hugh agrees, heat rising to his cheeks.

* * *

[epilogue]

* * *

When everyone is settled on opposite ends of the couch, Ayako Noir turns to her daughter with a wry grin.

"So, is it too late to join the betting pool?"

"Nope!" replies Haru, taking a sparkly pink notebook out of her pocket. "We have a slot open for next Tuesday; would you like that?"

"I'll take it," decides the older woman, watching Rosa attempt to get the remote back.

* * *

Fin.


End file.
